Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong became the most popular overseas destinations for tourists from the Chinese mainland during the summer's peak tourism season because of the host destinations' new visa policies and favorable currency exchange rates.

According to a report released on Monday by tuniu.com, a Chinese online travel agency in Nanjing, outbound visits in July and August increased 380 percent compared with the same period last year.

The China outbound tourism development report published by the China Tourism Academy, a think tank under the National Tourism Administration, said China continued to make rapid strides in the global tourism market, and is expected to see 16 percent more mainland tourists traveling overseas in 2015 than did so last year.

The number of mainland travelers from western regions, second-and third-tier cities and rural areas are expected to rise, the report said.

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2015-09/02/content_21778509.htm